A problem with many pharmaceuticals is the timely self-administration of drugs. Many drugs are self administered by the drug user and the user forgets if he has taken a pill on schedule. Complicating the problem is that there is usually more than one pill, often as many as seven or eight, some of which some are taken at different times from different bottles. Many users have no system for keeping track of the pills they have taken or need to take. They often take the pills directly from the bottle each time a pill is taken. Pill bottles are filled at the pharmacy; the bottles being simply containers with a week, month or longer supply. When the user takes the pills directly from the bottle there is no convenient means of keeping track of daily or hourly usage. Most users are aged people with failing memory and eye sight adding to the problem.
The lack of adherence to the prescribed medication regimen is a common, well recognized problem that increases overall healthcare costs. Developing tools that can really aid or address this problem will have a huge impact on the well-being of patients and reduction of healthcare costs to all.
It would therefore be useful to provide a simple film display of sufficiently low cost for a container of pharmaceutical drugs where changing color and symbols are the primary reminder means for taking the drug. The display is electronically updated as a reminder using numerical and other readouts to inform the user. The display is flexible to conform to the shape of the container or container cap so as not to significantly alter the shape, size and weight of the container.
In addition, there are many drugs in today's market that deliver oral medications by a metered dose inhalation of aerosolized liquid or by breath-actuated dry powder inhalation. These drugs come in a small, hand held, easily transportable container containing many doses; used over a period of time until the container is empty and needs replacement. An example of an aerosolized dispenser is the metered dose inhaler (MDI) device that delivers measured amount of medications orally in aerosolized dosage form, in a pressurized metal delivery container. Each canister is supplied with a plastic oral actuator that is not interchangeable. Examples include Albuterol, Atrovent, Combivent, Qvar, Flovent; each containing a different class of drugs (bronchodilators and corticosteroids) in similar dosage forms. The dosages of these drugs are metered by a small display that counts each time the inhaler is used. This is the means used to determine when the canister is near empty and needs replacing.
In some other inhaler drugs another method, the “float test” has been used in determining the amount of drug remaining in the canister. In the “float test” the weight of the canister and its contents is determined by how it floats in water. The MDI metal canisters, however, can not be submerged into water in order to use the “float test” to determine the remaining amount of medications, as (HFA) hydrofluoroalkane propellants in the aerosolized medications are not compatible with the water submersion method.
Dry powder dosage forms deliver multiple-doses of medications by a rotating disk or twisting plastic applicators. Each dose is breath actuated when inhaled, after a blister of powder medication is punctured open by a rotating device. Examples include Advair, Serevent, Asmanex inhalers.
Furthermore, a serious problem with these metered devices is suitable means for displaying such features and the number of doses remaining, date or time of last dosage, or other information of necessity and convenience to the user. Display solutions have been unsatisfactory. A common method is to incorporate a mechanical device that counts up or down by changing a mechanical counter each time the dispenser is used. The most serious problem with this approach is that the numbers displayed on the counter are small and difficult to read, particularly by a senior citizen. The mechanical device itself adds weight and bulk to the dispenser making it complicated and difficult to use. Electronic solutions have been equally unsuccessful faced with the same problem of making an easily readable display without altering significantly the size and shape of the delivery device. Unsuccessful electronic solutions have made use of existing LCD displays on bulky glass substrates such as used, for example, in wrist watches. These types of electronic devices also add significant weight and bulk to the existing drug delivery device. The displays with associated electronics, the need for programming and packaging make for bulky dispenser units which pose barriers to the end users.
It would therefore also be useful to provide a new display device for drug dispensers that are conformable to the curved surface of the drug delivery device so that it does not alter its shape and size. Being thin with flexible plastic substrates also adds insignificant weight to the device and most importantly, it provides large readable numbers and images that are updateable and convenient to users of any age. Furthermore, such a display can provide more information than the number of remaining dosages. Such features and the time the last dose was taken, number of doses taken that day, time for inhaler replacement, etc. can be clearly displayed.
Furthermore, as a product for diabetes patients, there are numerous handheld blood glucose meters or monitoring systems on the market today that are designed to make glucose monitoring as simple and convenient as possible. The size and shape of the monitors is important in their design so that they can be portable and easy to use. The size of the monitors is typically around 2×3×½ inches, primarily limited by the flat display inside the monitor to provide the user with the numerical results obtained with a blood glucose strip from blood sample. Major manufacturers of blood glucose meters include: Abbott, Roche, Life Scan, and Bayer. A recent miniature style glucose meter is a OneTouch UltraMini blood glucose monitor device by Lifescan, such as a OneTouch UltraSmart blood glucose monitor by Lifescan. A blood sample is taken for use with current blood glucose meters. Non-invasive blood glucose meters are being developed in which a blood sample does not have to be taken but which instead uses optical interferometer technology to obtain the reading. A limiting feature in the design of the prior art glucose monitors is the display, typically an LCD, due to the need for long battery life. A problem with LCD displays of the prior art is that they are flat and made on rigid glass substrates. This forces the glucose monitoring device to also be flat particularly if the numbers on the display are to be large and easily readable to the user.
It would be useful to provide monitor designs in the shape of a small cylindrical pen that could be carried in the pocket. This is not possible with the current technology having flat rigid LCD displays as the size of large easily visible numeric readouts cannot conform to an average portable pen size. The present invention also allows the conformed film display to be applied to a blood glucose meter in the shape of a watch-like device with wrap around numeric display.
It would also be useful to provide a flexible film display that can be made to conform to the desired shape of the glucose monitor allowing larger numerals for a smaller size device and one that is of a more convenient shape. For example, with the conformable film display a blood glucose meter can be made in the shape and size of a cylindrical pen that is easily carried in the pocket as illustrated in FIG. 6. The film display can wrap around the cylindrical shape of the pen and, as a result, provide larger numerals that are easier to read. In another application the blood glucose meter can be made into a shape of a curved wearable watch-shaped monitoring device, which permits the device to have a large numeric curved display.
It would also be useful to provide a thin flexible display is that it is a bistable technology such that the last reading remains on the display even after the device is turned off. Such a display does not consume electrical power to continually display the image providing for smaller batteries and longer battery life for the monitoring device.
Yet another useful feature could be providing digital readouts that can be displayed in color, providing useful information and features like warning and error message to the user, prompting attention to medical care as needed. It would be further useful to provide a wide viewing angle, so that the display can be observed by multiple individuals which can facilitate user assistance or training.